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Darkness Before Dawn
By J. A. London
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The first book in a romantic and drama-packed trilogy perfect for fans of Rachel Vincent, Julie Kagawa, and Alyson Noel.
At seventeen, Dawn Montgomery knows that monsters really do come out at night—after all, they are her job. It’s just after the thirty-years war between vampires and humans, and as an ambassador between the two sides (a role she inherited when her parents were killed), Dawn quickly learns that balancing schoolwork, teen life, and the requests of Lord Valentine, the most frightening vampire in the region, isn’t easy.
And it only gets more complicated when she forms a tentative friendship with Victor, the mysterious stranger who rescued her from a hoard of vampires…only to discover that not only is Victor a vampire, but that he is Lord Valentine’s son.
Soon Dawn is struggling to remember that with everything on the line, she can’t afford to fall for the enemy…
Lusciously romantic and full of action-packed drama, readers will be swept away by this thrilling novel, the first in a trilogy.
Book Actions
Start ReadingBook Information
Darkness Before Dawn
By J. A. London
Description
The first book in a romantic and drama-packed trilogy perfect for fans of Rachel Vincent, Julie Kagawa, and Alyson Noel.
At seventeen, Dawn Montgomery knows that monsters really do come out at night—after all, they are her job. It’s just after the thirty-years war between vampires and humans, and as an ambassador between the two sides (a role she inherited when her parents were killed), Dawn quickly learns that balancing schoolwork, teen life, and the requests of Lord Valentine, the most frightening vampire in the region, isn’t easy.
And it only gets more complicated when she forms a tentative friendship with Victor, the mysterious stranger who rescued her from a hoard of vampires…only to discover that not only is Victor a vampire, but that he is Lord Valentine’s son.
Soon Dawn is struggling to remember that with everything on the line, she can’t afford to fall for the enemy…
Lusciously romantic and full of action-packed drama, readers will be swept away by this thrilling novel, the first in a trilogy.
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Reviews
Darkness Before Dawn is a dystopian-paranormal-romance book that takes place in Denver. The book starts off with Dawn, the protagonist, going off to party with her best friend Tegan. The readers quickly learn that Dawn isn't your-every-day average teenager but instead a delegate for Denver. Essentially it is Dawns duty to be an ambassador and communicator between the humans and vampire relations. This is a job that has Dawn both liked and hated. It offer to her by Murdoch Valentine, an ancient noble vampire, after her parents have passed. Dawn, at the start of the novel, has the perfect boyfriend : Michael and is later introduced, and falls in love, with a vampire = creating a love triangle.Those who are keen for the paranormal romance genre will be intrigue by this book. The writing, a mother-and son duo, flows pleasantly with the quick paste of the novel. This novel does have a moment of dullness. I did not find myself slumping through it or having to takes long breaks from it.Dawn is quite mature for a YA genre but it makes sense with her background. I know some people complain about her mature-ness but I actually quite like it. Dawn is a character who--throughout the entire novel--I did not find myself hating. She cares deeply for those in her inner circle and worries a lot about others.However, I have mixed emotions about Michael. Michael and Dawn do work well as a couple but some of the things he did pissed me off and made me pity Dawn. However, there were times when I thought they were paired adorable together. However, I am rooting for Dawn X Tegan not Michael X Tegan.The character called Sin was awesome...and I wished there were more scenes with him in it.Problems I had with this book are : a) I found the antagonists scenes were few and there should have been more. b) Things would happen...the chapter would end...and then the readers are left wondering how the protagonist got from point a to point b.Things I enjoyed about this book: a) fast paste b) written smoothly and flowed easily throughout the entire novel c) Sin d) Victor e) idea of dystopian world that has vampire in it d) character development between Victor and Dawn.I also really liked Faith and Richard. I hope there is more of them in the next book.The reason I gave it 4 out of 5 is that while it is a really good book it does not stand out much from other paranormal romance novels. The dystopian setting is a little bit different. I was actually quite hesitant before picking this up because with dystopians I am either for it or against it. Luckily with this novel it was perfect blend.
Mainly picked this up because I greatly enjoyed Julie Kagawa's exceptional dystopian vampire series. If you're directly comparing the two, Darkness Before Dawn is not quite as good, but I didn't dislike it either. I'm giving it a 3.5 star rating. The YA clichés are rampant in this series - a white heroine who lost her parents, the outgoing best friend who loves to party and flirt, the choice between the childhood friend and the sexy, mysterious stranger, the rich, spoiled mean girl who's after the protagonist's boyfriend. But overall I liked the world building and it made for an entertaining read. Why Dawn is so special will be revealed in the rest of this series.
FANTASTIC! Exactly what i was looking for!
excellent
Loved the series.
It was kind of slow at the beginning but the ending was really good.
I won a signed copy of book through a massive internet giveaway and the following is my honest opinion for the book.With the apparent glut of vampire stories currently out there and more seemingly appearing each day something has to give. One unique thing about this book is that it had been written by two individuals, and while this might not sound so it is when you consider it had been written by a mother and her son. While the mother, Rachel Hawthorne, has written several YA novels; her son, Alex London, is a recent History major college graduate enjoys creating new worlds based on Historical Fiction. The melding of these two individual seems to work well, however I believe a problem exists in elements of the storyline.One of the elements is parts of the storyline seem to be overly contrived, such as high school still existing with the conflict which exists in the vampire dystopia the story takes place in. With the need to have a delegate to act as the go between humans and vampires, why would they select a mere teenager instead of a more mature adult?Since the authors didn’t waste time staying on one particular scene in the storyline, the action is fast-spaced. Readers are continuously made to guess what will happen next with the tension being created as the readers make their way through the books pages. The addition of a love triangle seems to function, in my opinion, as a lure for the YA [Young Adult] audience.Lastly, I found, the title, which should have caught a person’s eye and piqued their curiosity about the book to be flat. I wanted to give this book 3.5 STARS, but the rounding convention raises it to 4 STARS.
I was attracted to this book by (let's be honest) a great cover and the intriguing concept of humans living under vampire overlords. For all its promise, this book kinda fell flat for me. I felt the characters could have been better developed and the dystopian world the characters inhabited could have been fleshed out more. So, while interesting, this book didn't really live up to its potential and I'm not certain I will continue reading the series.
I checked this book out as an ebook from my library's ebook offerings, hoping for just a quick light read -- and so, based upon my expectations, I'm pretty satisfied with what I got.Dawn is a teenager living in a dystopian future where, following the events of a long war, vampires have pretty much claimed dominion over humans, who now live sequestered in a handful of cities protected by large walls. An uneasy truce exists between the two species. In order to secure peace, humans must collaborate with the Old Families that rule over the vampires and voluntarily donate blood to them. In return, the Old Families prevent their vampire underlings from attacking and killing humans -- or at least they're supposed to, but there always seems to be attacks within the city and one of Dawn's responsibilities, as emissary of the humans, is to negotiate the terms and reinforcement of the peace treaty with Old Family vampire Valentine. But things start getting complicated pretty fast. Dawn is young, really young, and even though her parents tried to teach her everything they knew before they died, the entire city doubts her ability to communicate effectively with the feared vampire leader. On top of that, there is a growing movement to cease donating blood to the vampires altogether -- an action which would have consequences that Dawn is horrified to think about. Her boyfriend has been growing distant, and one night, after an ill-advised trip out to a party after which she and her friend are nearly killed by some rogue vampires, she is saved by Victor -- a mysterious young man that she finds irresistible. But what secrets is he hiding?I enjoyed reading about the politics of the VampHu treaty, and the way that society has developed to exist on such uneasy terms. Dawn was not the most lovable character, and was often quite annoying, but many of the side characters were interesting if sometimes a bit shallow. I liked Victor very much, and Sin -- who appears later on -- was also fun to read. The writing was so-so: passable for a quick read like this despite some shaky dialogue and lacking good description. The action carries the story along at a brisk pace and there are many questions left unanswered by the end. I'll be reading the next book immediately to find out what happens.
VOYA - Etienne ValleeFollowing the violent deaths of her parents, Dawn is appointed Delegate from the human city of Denver to Valentine, the vampire overlord of the area. In a world where humans fought a violent war against vampires for thirty years—and lost—she represents the agency that runs Denver in blood deliveries negotiations with the vampires. During a vampire attack on her and her best friend Tegan, she meets Victor, who later reveals he is Valentine's vampire son and is getting ready to wage a war against his father to save the decimated human population. Can Dawn survive being in the center of a dangerous power play, avoid falling in love with Victor, and at the same time, protect her friends from Valentine's deadly vampires? J.A. London takes the reader into a vampire world different from most settings, one where the vampires rule what is left following a long and devastating war. Dawn is realistically portrayed, with her hatred for vampires slowly being replaced by doubts as she learns to trust Victor, her enemy. A love triangle between Dawn, her boyfriend Michael, and Victor is only matched by a triangle of enemies and allegiances between Dawn, Sin (Valentine's other son), and Dawn's brother. The supporting characters are also fairly described, and are appealing. This story will be appreciated by those who like other vampire or supernatural novels, but it may be a hard sell for boys.
I really, really, really enjoyed this one despite its very obvious flaws. A lot of people are judging this one by its cover's similarity to the Fallen series by Lauren Kate (same cover artist, so yeah) and its similarities in premise to The Hunt and Immortal Rules. I say meh! I read The Hunt (well, I started it) and they've got nothing in common. I started the Immortal Rules, too, and was bored to death. Either way, I say give this one a try.
Dawn Montgomery is the delegate between humans and vampires, the one in charge of blood negotiations, etc. I loved her! She was well trained in kick-ass-ness but that didn't take away from her vulnerability. She was still frightened by the scary (sort of Anne Ricey) vampires. She was broken by the murders of her parents and her older brother, and that shaped a lot of her opinions about vampires. I thought she was very believable, and probably someone I would want to be friends with.
I thought the world building was intriguing: the walled-in cities, the Night Train, the lack of travel, the trolleys, everything. London (a mother-son collaboration) really embraced the idea of vampiric monsters and I loved the emphasis on the sun's cycles. Her vampires were nothing like what we're used to seeing in YA. They weren't sparkly (lol, I had to) and they weren't cuddly. This seems to be a new direction YA vampire books are taking, and I'm 100% behind it!
This book does include a love triangle but I wouldn't let it deter you. It ends in a surprising way, one that I wouldn't have guessed. The thing that saddened me though, was the way Michael (Dawn's boyfriend) was always compared to Victor. It made Michael seem like a weakling, emasculating him in a way that I thought was unfair. I really like Victor though, and his story really intrigues me. I can't wait to read more about him in the upcoming sequels.
I have two complaints about this book. First of all, I was nearly two hundred pages in before I found a smidgen of a speck of a dust particle of a plot. Halfway through the book, I noticed that while I was loving it, I really didn't know what the plot was. I wish that the story was more evident from the beginning, but I realize that a lot of world and character building had to be done in order for it to be at all believable. My second complaint is one that I notice with a lot of YA. Dawn was only seventeen, still in high school and everything. It really made no sense why she should be chosen as delegate, even if her parents served before her. She was the youngest ever, and even if she was strong and often times very sure of herself, she was in many ways still a kid. Since this novel is sort of dystopic there was no reason for her to be 17. She could have been 19-20 and it would have made more sense. 19-20 is still a young adult (hell, I'm only 22 and I consider myself a young adult. That's what I am!) I feel like the book would have been more believable -- I mean, her 17 year old boyfriend was chosen to be in an elite task force against vampires. How does that make any sense?
In all though, I thought Darkness Before Dawn was thoroughly enjoyable. While the title coupled with our MC's name is a little cheesy, I still found Dawn to be very likable, someone I would want to be around, and someone I definitely would like to continue to read about. I like the characters -- Tegan, Michael and Sin, Dawn's friends (although I'd like to say that Sinclair also known as Sin was a character in Nina Malkin's Swoon series and that bothered me.) The story was enjoyable, and I'm definitely a fan of the more monstrous vampires that seem to be trending in YA right now. Very much recommended.
Dawn Montgomery is the delegate between humans and vampires, the one in charge of blood negotiations, etc. I loved her! She was well trained in kick-ass-ness but that didn't take away from her vulnerability. She was still frightened by the scary (sort of Anne Ricey) vampires. She was broken by the murders of her parents and her older brother, and that shaped a lot of her opinions about vampires. I thought she was very believable, and probably someone I would want to be friends with.
I thought the world building was intriguing: the walled-in cities, the Night Train, the lack of travel, the trolleys, everything. London (a mother-son collaboration) really embraced the idea of vampiric monsters and I loved the emphasis on the sun's cycles. Her vampires were nothing like what we're used to seeing in YA. They weren't sparkly (lol, I had to) and they weren't cuddly. This seems to be a new direction YA vampire books are taking, and I'm 100% behind it!
This book does include a love triangle but I wouldn't let it deter you. It ends in a surprising way, one that I wouldn't have guessed. The thing that saddened me though, was the way Michael (Dawn's boyfriend) was always compared to Victor. It made Michael seem like a weakling, emasculating him in a way that I thought was unfair. I really like Victor though, and his story really intrigues me. I can't wait to read more about him in the upcoming sequels.
I have two complaints about this book. First of all, I was nearly two hundred pages in before I found a smidgen of a speck of a dust particle of a plot. Halfway through the book, I noticed that while I was loving it, I really didn't know what the plot was. I wish that the story was more evident from the beginning, but I realize that a lot of world and character building had to be done in order for it to be at all believable. My second complaint is one that I notice with a lot of YA. Dawn was only seventeen, still in high school and everything. It really made no sense why she should be chosen as delegate, even if her parents served before her. She was the youngest ever, and even if she was strong and often times very sure of herself, she was in many ways still a kid. Since this novel is sort of dystopic there was no reason for her to be 17. She could have been 19-20 and it would have made more sense. 19-20 is still a young adult (hell, I'm only 22 and I consider myself a young adult. That's what I am!) I feel like the book would have been more believable -- I mean, her 17 year old boyfriend was chosen to be in an elite task force against vampires. How does that make any sense?
In all though, I thought Darkness Before Dawn was thoroughly enjoyable. While the title coupled with our MC's name is a little cheesy, I still found Dawn to be very likable, someone I would want to be around, and someone I definitely would like to continue to read about. I like the characters -- Tegan, Michael and Sin, Dawn's friends (although I'd like to say that Sinclair also known as Sin was a character in Nina Malkin's Swoon series and that bothered me.) The story was enjoyable, and I'm definitely a fan of the more monstrous vampires that seem to be trending in YA right now. Very much recommended.
This was definitely a nice perspective on vampires. This mother-son team decided to have the vampires appear as the traditional persona, rather than the romantic Twilight-based. The main character is a delegate between the vampires and the humans, who have to pay a blood tribute to their vampire leader. Overall, it was an ok book. However, I probably won't read the next book in the series.
I really, really, really enjoyed this one despite its very obvious flaws. A lot of people are judging this one by its cover's similarity to the Fallen series by Lauren Kate (same cover artist, so yeah) and its similarities in premise to The Hunt and Immortal Rules. I say meh! I read The Hunt (well, I started it) and they've got nothing in common. I started the Immortal Rules, too, and was bored to death. Either way, I say give this one a try.
Dawn Montgomery is the delegate between humans and vampires, the one in charge of blood negotiations, etc. I loved her! She was well trained in kick-ass-ness but that didn't take away from her vulnerability. She was still frightened by the scary (sort of Anne Ricey) vampires. She was broken by the murders of her parents and her older brother, and that shaped a lot of her opinions about vampires. I thought she was very believable, and probably someone I would want to be friends with.
I thought the world building was intriguing: the walled-in cities, the Night Train, the lack of travel, the trolleys, everything. London (a mother-son collaboration) really embraced the idea of vampiric monsters and I loved the emphasis on the sun's cycles. Her vampires were nothing like what we're used to seeing in YA. They weren't sparkly (lol, I had to) and they weren't cuddly. This seems to be a new direction YA vampire books are taking, and I'm 100% behind it!
This book does include a love triangle but I wouldn't let it deter you. It ends in a surprising way, one that I wouldn't have guessed. The thing that saddened me though, was the way Michael (Dawn's boyfriend) was always compared to Victor. It made Michael seem like a weakling, emasculating him in a way that I thought was unfair. I really like Victor though, and his story really intrigues me. I can't wait to read more about him in the upcoming sequels.
I have two complaints about this book. First of all, I was nearly two hundred pages in before I found a smidgen of a speck of a dust particle of a plot. Halfway through the book, I noticed that while I was loving it, I really didn't know what the plot was. I wish that the story was more evident from the beginning, but I realize that a lot of world and character building had to be done in order for it to be at all believable. My second complaint is one that I notice with a lot of YA. Dawn was only seventeen, still in high school and everything. It really made no sense why she should be chosen as delegate, even if her parents served before her. She was the youngest ever, and even if she was strong and often times very sure of herself, she was in many ways still a kid. Since this novel is sort of dystopic there was no reason for her to be 17. She could have been 19-20 and it would have made more sense. 19-20 is still a young adult (hell, I'm only 22 and I consider myself a young adult. That's what I am!) I feel like the book would have been more believable -- I mean, her 17 year old boyfriend was chosen to be in an elite task force against vampires. How does that make any sense?
In all though, I thought Darkness Before Dawn was thoroughly enjoyable. While the title coupled with our MC's name is a little cheesy, I still found Dawn to be very likable, someone I would want to be around, and someone I definitely would like to continue to read about. I like the characters -- Tegan, Michael and Sin, Dawn's friends (although I'd like to say that Sinclair also known as Sin was a character in Nina Malkin's Swoon series and that bothered me.) The story was enjoyable, and I'm definitely a fan of the more monstrous vampires that seem to be trending in YA right now. Very much recommended.
Dawn Montgomery is the delegate between humans and vampires, the one in charge of blood negotiations, etc. I loved her! She was well trained in kick-ass-ness but that didn't take away from her vulnerability. She was still frightened by the scary (sort of Anne Ricey) vampires. She was broken by the murders of her parents and her older brother, and that shaped a lot of her opinions about vampires. I thought she was very believable, and probably someone I would want to be friends with.
I thought the world building was intriguing: the walled-in cities, the Night Train, the lack of travel, the trolleys, everything. London (a mother-son collaboration) really embraced the idea of vampiric monsters and I loved the emphasis on the sun's cycles. Her vampires were nothing like what we're used to seeing in YA. They weren't sparkly (lol, I had to) and they weren't cuddly. This seems to be a new direction YA vampire books are taking, and I'm 100% behind it!
This book does include a love triangle but I wouldn't let it deter you. It ends in a surprising way, one that I wouldn't have guessed. The thing that saddened me though, was the way Michael (Dawn's boyfriend) was always compared to Victor. It made Michael seem like a weakling, emasculating him in a way that I thought was unfair. I really like Victor though, and his story really intrigues me. I can't wait to read more about him in the upcoming sequels.
I have two complaints about this book. First of all, I was nearly two hundred pages in before I found a smidgen of a speck of a dust particle of a plot. Halfway through the book, I noticed that while I was loving it, I really didn't know what the plot was. I wish that the story was more evident from the beginning, but I realize that a lot of world and character building had to be done in order for it to be at all believable. My second complaint is one that I notice with a lot of YA. Dawn was only seventeen, still in high school and everything. It really made no sense why she should be chosen as delegate, even if her parents served before her. She was the youngest ever, and even if she was strong and often times very sure of herself, she was in many ways still a kid. Since this novel is sort of dystopic there was no reason for her to be 17. She could have been 19-20 and it would have made more sense. 19-20 is still a young adult (hell, I'm only 22 and I consider myself a young adult. That's what I am!) I feel like the book would have been more believable -- I mean, her 17 year old boyfriend was chosen to be in an elite task force against vampires. How does that make any sense?
In all though, I thought Darkness Before Dawn was thoroughly enjoyable. While the title coupled with our MC's name is a little cheesy, I still found Dawn to be very likable, someone I would want to be around, and someone I definitely would like to continue to read about. I like the characters -- Tegan, Michael and Sin, Dawn's friends (although I'd like to say that Sinclair also known as Sin was a character in Nina Malkin's Swoon series and that bothered me.) The story was enjoyable, and I'm definitely a fan of the more monstrous vampires that seem to be trending in YA right now. Very much recommended.
Brought to you by TeamNerd Reviewer Annabell CadizI have missed reading stories where vampires are actually portrayed as the heartless predator they really are and Darkness Before Dawn brings back the terrifying portrayal of vampires but only slightly. Nine years have passed since the thirty-year war between humans and vampires took place and Dawn?s parents were killed leaving Dawn to become the youngest named Delegate for the Agency. Dawn?s job is to keep the tentative peace between vampires and humans and to keep the blood supply ample for the vampires so they don?t attack which means keeping Lord Valentine happy. Lord Valentine is the leader of the vampires in the city of Denver and is as ruthless as a vampire can be. As Dawn adjusts to the fame and criticism of the role as Delegate, she finds her life turned upside as vampires begin to invade the city and abduct humans. But those aren?t the only threats. Lord Valentine?s son takes an interest in Dawn and complicates her life even further. But blood supply and Victor are not the most threatening aspects to Dawn?s job. She will find herself right smack in the middle of a battle that will change the vampire regime and bring back someone Dawn had thought to be dead.Darkness Before Dawn is narrated by Dawn. The authors made an attempt at portraying the character as a strong and wise female lead but it didn?t work. Dawn often came off rather unbelievable. She also makes incredibly stupid decisions. She wasn?t the worse female lead I have ever read, certainly better than others, but there was nothing remarkable about her character. In action scenes, Dawn was pretty useless. She would make an attempt but would quickly be over powered and needed to be rescued. Tegan, Dawn?s best friend, is a complete airhead, shallow and rather annoying throughout the book. She not only makes decisions that nearly get both her and Dawn killed (more than once!) but she also falls for a guy based on looks then decides he is not like other guys and must be with him. Michael, Dawn?s boyfriend, is bland and throws tantrums so easily when Dawn isn?t an agreement with him. There was nothing really likeable about him. Sin, the guy Tegan falls for and the new guy to the Watchman team (team of humans that protect the city by taking down vampires that get passed the wall), is your predictable bad boy. He thinks he?s above the rules, easy on the eyes, and cocky as hell. Out of the secondary characters, Sin was the one I liked.Victor and Richard where pretty good characters. They are both vampires but civil ones. There is humanity to them and an old world charm which did fit their characters well considering they are two of the oldest vampires. Victor is agile, fast, and has a fierce determination. He isn?t driven by fear but by his passion to merge humans and vampires together in true peace. Richard is patient, kind, loyal, and wise. He also has a good sense of humor. I liked his bond with Victor.The best part to the entire novel was the world building. The portrayal of what the city looked like after a thirty-year war with vampires and the wall protecting the city were all well detailed. The loss, the pain, the fear housed within the broken parts of the city where showcased well within the architecture of the city. I also liked the fact that every city where humans lived was closed off from other cities. Only one train ran from city to city, non-stop, to bring supplies the humans may need but humans could not interact with anyone else outside of their city. This was a great quality. You could feel the isolation within the world building. I also liked that the TV shows and radio shows were all made from within the city. Any outside tv shows or radio shows were banned since vampire leaders did not want humans to be able to exchange interaction. There is, of course, a love triangle but a sad one. The love triangle was rather ridiculous and really just felt unnecessary. The action scenes were sparse and lackluster, especially when the final epic battle with Lord Valentine comes into play. I had expected much more than what took place within the scene. The suspense build up was one of the aspects of the plot that was written pretty well. The pacing and fluidity moved at a steady pace. There were a few moments scenes were dragged down but for most of the book, the story reads at an easy pace.Overall, there were aspects to Darkness Before Dawn I enjoyed reading. But much of the book was predictable and nothing really too surprising happens that the reader won?t be able to figure out early on. The ending was the most predictable part of all and reminds me of countless other paranormal novels. I am interested to see how the story progresses since I did enjoy Victor and Richard?s character. There are also unresolved aspects to the plot such as what happened with Tegan and Sin, what will become of Dawn now that she has sided with Victor, and what will happen to the city after the big revelation toward the end. I just hope Dawn becomes a stronger character.
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales Quick & Dirty: While predictable, this novel does have some lovable characters and great suspense that will keep readers interested and turning pages. Opening Sentence: As the carriage rolled across the desolate plains, the assassin slid his gaze over to his traveling companions.The Review: Darkness Before Dawn begins with the murder of Denver’s delegates, on Lord Valentine’s orders. Except, only the reader knows it was by Valentine’s command. As far as the characters know it was just another rogue vampire. Denver lost its best representatives to the vampires, but Dawn Montgomery lost her parents. Rachel (her new guardian), Tegan and Michael are the last three people Dawn loves that haven’t died. Her brother was attacked by a vampire in their apartment years ago — saving Dawn from the monster. When Valentine asks — or rather, demands, Dawn be made the next delegate after her parents, she only has two months of training before she’s on the job. Fortunately, she learned a lot from her parents. Hopefully, it’ll be enough to keep her alive. Because if there’s one thing Old Family vampires like, it’s playing mind games. When a young man who saved Dawn and her friend from a vampire attack turns out to be Valentine’s son, well, that’s one mind game she isn’t prepared for. But Victor isn’t like other vampires. He’s in control, for one thing. Not that Dawn is strong enough to stake him — with age comes power and Victor is about 400 years old, but it is nice he doesn’t lunge at her every time he enters the scene. Victor’s playing a dangerous game, hiding inside the city. The VampHu treaty established after the war makes all humans outside the wall and all vampires inside fair game. Knowing she should turn him in, Dawn still hesitates. He saved her life, after all, so she owes him a bit, but in a lot of ways her behavior in the middle of the novel is conflicting with the character London tried so hard to develop in the first few chapters. She’s brave and smart, and above all things hates vampires. It’s not the fact that she doesn’t turn him in I don’t like — bad decisions make great stories, after all — it’s the fact her reason was “it’s not a good time.” In a lot of ways London has made Dawn’s life into a rollercoaster, which makes it a page turning read, but it also makes a lot of what’s going on predictable. I can understand trying to strengthen the tension — in a lot of places this book does a great job of it, but it’s really hard for your reader to care when they already know what’s going to happen. Just because it’s predictable, doesn’t mean it isn’t interesting. Don’t get me wrong, if nothing else, I would’ve kept reading for Michael and Victor. Michael is the best-friend-turned-boyfriend and good for her. Or he would be if he wasn’t so busy becoming a Night Watchman and trying to prove himself. As it is, both Dawn and Michael are busy…which makes Victor, the totally unsuitable handsome vampire, the obvious romantic complication. I like them both. I mean, this isn’t the kind of book I’m on a Team for — I just couldn’t get that invested, but it was fun to watch some jealous sparks fly. Honestly, it’s the fact I didn’t get invested that really bothers me. It’s hard to read 300 pages when you don’t care about the characters you’re reading. Though each character did have their moments. For Dawn, as an example, it was the grief she faces over losing her brother and her parents. The emotions were very well done and the voice brought everything to the surface. I wish there was more of this style pulled into writing the plot of the book, because I think it’s what made it unique and Dawn a more rounded heroine. While I’ll be picking up Blood-Kissed Sky when it comes out, I’m not going to be bumping it to the top of my TBR pile or bouncing with anticipation. It’s a book a lot like many others. It hits the high points of both the dystopian science-fiction crowd and the paranormal vampire genre, and I hope the second book does more to support the crossover. Notable Scene: “It’s okay. It’s probably Agency business. He’s a Night Watchman.” Her eyes go wide and she slaps her hand over her mouth. “Oops! I wasn’t supposed to say that. I’m sorry, Victor, one special lemonade too many, I guess.” I can tell that Michael is conflicted. He doesn’t like Victor, but if he’s a Night Watchman—how can he not admire him? “Uh, yeah. Tegan’s right. Agency business. I’ll just be a minute.” I grab Victor’s arm and herd him toward the hallway that leads to the restrooms. When we get to the dimly lit, empty hallway I whisper harshly, “What were you thinking? Why are you here?” “I need your help. I was waiting outside your apartment, got impatient, and came looking for you.” “Victor—“ “I need blood.”FTC Advisory: Harper Teen provided me with a copy of Darkness Before Dawn. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
While Darkness Before Dawn was an enjoyable read, vampires are a bit to overdone for me to really enjoy this novel…and by a bit overdone, I mean enough already!!!!! The plot was pretty stereotypical—vampires have taken over the world (new trend, same premise: vampires), there is a love triangle (I typically like this part), and there is a “new” type of vampire that feeds off of other vampires (this was original when Richelle Mead did it in Vampire Academy, but has been used so many times it is beyond old, predictable, and dull). Luckily, the romance was able to salvage what would otherwise have been a relatively dull story.The romance between Victor and Dawn was excellent. There was just enough hate/fear in the beginning to keep it realistic without being angsty, as well as a genuine attempt to fight off an unnatural relationship (as society considers it). Dawn already has a boyfriend—the extremely annoying Michael, who seems to think that he is invincible and that women are incapable of protecting themselves (hello, annoying). Since there was nothing appealing about Michael’s character, this love triangle didn’t really work for me. Luckily, this did not detract from my enjoyment of the Victor/Dawn scenes.Michael is not the only character that irritated me in Darkness Before Dawn. Teagan, Dawn’s best friend, is best described as clueless and reckless—she is as much of a child as Michael is. Sin, the sexy stranger from out of town, had a predictable ending (which I will not spoil for those of you who haven’t read the novel). While there are plenty of teenagers out there who do really stupid things, Michael and Teagen were exceptionally dumb with their risk-taking behavior. I am all for a little recklessness, but there is a difference between reckless and sheer stupidity. Victor and Dawn were the only characters I enjoyed reading about.Dawn as a main character is terrific. She is strong, but has the appropriate amount of fear when confronted with a dangerous situation. She is both courageous and intelligent—when she takes a risk, it is calculated and thought out. This does not mean she is unafraid, she most definitely is, but she is willing to do what she needs to despite her fears. Luckily, we are seeing more characters like Dawn in today’s young adult literature.Even though Darkness Before Dawn has the world’s most predictable vampire plot and exceptionally annoying supporting character, it does have a good romance and a fantastic main character. Despite the generic nature of the plot, I am sufficiently intrigued to continue reading the series, and hope that it will become more original as the story progresses.
Review courtesy of All Things Urban FantasyMother and son writing efforts haven't been wildly successful in the YA genre (see FORBIDDEN by Syrie and Ryan M. James), but with J. A. London (aka Rachel Hawthorne of the Dark Guardian series and son Alex Nowasky) that trend may be broken. Mixing vampire romance with a dystopian world, DARKNESS BEFORE DAWN paints an exciting and cohesive tale with a heartfelt love story set against a dangerous fight for human survival.It's been years since the 30 year war between human and vampires was waged, and the few remaining human strongholds are beginning to rankle under the so-called peace treaty they signed. Vampires still slip into the cities to slake their thirst and vampire king is threatening to withdraw his nominal protection if the blood donations don't increase. This is the situation Dawn steps into when she inherits the role of delegate from her murdered parents.While there have been other YA series that imagined vampire run worlds (see similar titles below), DARKNESS BEFORE DAWN adds its own flavor by emphasizing the dystopian nature of its world. Subtle details like cellphones cobbled together from toaster parts, fang checks at clubs, the beyond scarcity of things like soda and butter. And of course the mammoth wall that wraps around what's left of the city. All of that balanced beautifully with the vampire mythology and surprisingly satisfying love triangle.Fans of dystopian and vampire fiction will be delighted with this dangerous and engrossing world. I did think Dawn's grieving process for her parents was shockingly fast, but once I put that out of my head, I couldn't put DARKNESS BEFORE DAWN down for a second. Be ready for a bit of a cliff-hanger ending, but it's the good kind. I'm already dying to see what happens next when BLOOD-KISSED SKY is released in 2013.Sexual Content:Kissing
I won this book from Goodreads First Reads Giveaways in exchange for an honest review.Darkness Before Dawn by J.A. London is a vampire story, but with a twist. We are introduced to Dawn, the protagonist, who is the youngest chosen Delegate to help fend for the rights of humans after a devastating battle against the vampires. She hates the vampires, for what they've done to her family and friends. Then she meets Victor, and everything changes.There are many wonderful things about this book. Every time I thought the book was becoming too slow or becoming just like any other vampire book, there would be a twist. I liked Dawn, the protagonist, and I enjoyed getting to know her friends. For me, the book really picked up in the last fourth of the book. Suddenly, we are introduced to many more interesting characters, who will likely be fleshed out in the next book, as the ending makes it open for a trilogy. Overall, it is well written.I did have a little trouble getting into the book, and I felt at least at the beginning, it fell into the trap of having to set the stage for what is to come. I was worried that would be the entire book without any true plot. Fortunately, we do get some resolution of the story by the end, which really redeemed the novel.That said, by the end, I enjoyed the overall development of the world, and I am intrigued to see where the story will go from here.
This book really had me hooked. Written beautifully, I am able to step into a world of darkness and full of blood driven vampires.I have to say that the new books that are coming out with vampires are certainly coming out fresh and new. I loved that this book contains elements of dystopia as well as paranormal. Nothing is old. Everything is fresh and totally addicting. The plot is the best part of the book. We have delegate who meets with the vampire lord and negotiates. I love this idea right here. Dawn is not some stupid girl. She is a girl raised in politics and knows what needs to be down. I like that despite the fear that has been driven into her over and over again, she is strong. As long as Dawn cities meets requirements, they are protected from the vamps. Or are they...There are other characters in the book take the son Victor who really captured my eye. I knew right off the bat that he was different from all the rest. To see him come into power and step into a whole new era. Now, this love interest in quite intriguing. From the minute the meet it;s fire works all over the place. Not to mention the whole forbidden love aspects really kicks it in. What I especially adored was how both were able to maintain the facade that they have been playing all along. They meet in secret then go back as if they never met. Another words, they played both their parts well.Darkness Before Dawn is a story that will whisk you away to a place you never been before. It's clever and keeps the reader on their toes. Let me just tell you that the less you know, the more you will come to enjoy it. Darkness Before Dawn is a great read!